Bottle supporting rack



March 8, 1949..

K. J. WATSO N BOTTLE SUPPORTING RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 8, 1947 lll/114m March 8, 1949.

K. J. WATSON BOTTLE SUPPORTING RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 8, 1947 INVENTOR. KENNETH J. WATSON vf/@m Patented Mar. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in bottle supporting racks, and more particularly to an improved rack for releasably supporting a vacuum bottle in position to drain It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved rack which may be placed upon a sink top, dranboard, shelf or table, or releasably secured thereto, or suspended upon a wall or other vertical support, to receive a receptacle such as a vacuum bottle in inverted, draining position with the bottle cork and cap supported on the same rack in proximity t the bottle to prevent loss or misplacement of the cork or cap, which rack is simple in construction, may be made from a large variety of materials, is economical to manufacture, is neat and attractive in appearance and may be adjusted to fit receptacles of diiferent shapes.

A further object resides in the provision of an improved bottle-supporting rack which may be changed from a left-hand t0 a right-hand structure, or vice versa, as may be desired, and which may be constructed for bottles of different sizes and to hold two or more bottles with no material changes in the design thereof.

A somewhat more specific object resides in the provision of an improved bottle rack having a supporting base provided with a concavity to receive drippings from a bottle held in the rack, a top plate supported above said base by a suitable post or standard and provided with a concavity to receive the bottom portion of a bottle held in inverted position in the rack, and a support resiliently mounted near the base to receive the neck portion of the bottle and releasably hold the bottle in inverted position with its bottom portion engaged in the top plate concavity and its mouth above the base concavity, which rack also supports the bottle cork and cap in proximity to the bottle.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a front elevation of a bottle rack illustrative of the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse cross-section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1` Figure 4 is a rear elevation of a modif-led form of supporting post for the rack illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-section on the line 5--5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of a ring assembly operative to support the neck of an inverted bottle mounted in the rack.

Figure 7 is a transverse cross-section on the line 'I-l of Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a front elevation of a somewhat modied form of bottle rack.

Figure 9 is a vertical cross-section on the line 9--9 of Figure 8; and

Figure 10 is a top plan view of a portion of the rack shown in Figure 8 looking from the line Ill- I0 of Figure 8.

With continued reference to the drawings, and particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the base I0 comprises a flat, elongated, generally rectangular member having in its upper surface a shallow recess 0r concavity II to receive drippings from a bottle held in draining position in the rack. This base is provided in its under-surface and near the corners thereof with apertures, preferably of key-hole shape, which receive the stem portions of rubber suction cups I2 to detachably secure the cups to the base so that the rack can be detachably secured upon a supporting surface if desired, and is provided near its rear longitudinal edge with spaced-apart screw-receiving apertures I3.

A post, generally indicated at I4, is secured at its lower end to the upper surface of the base l0 at the rear longitudinal edge of the base adjacent one end thereof and supports at its upper end a top plate I5. The post I4 is preferably a generally rectangular member having a substantially solid lower end portion and an upper portion of thin-walled channel-shaped cross-section. The solid lower end portion of the post is provided with a recess I6 extending into the post from the inner side thereof and with a longitudinal bore I1 extending through the post from the lower end into the recess I6. The post is also provided in its solid lower end with an internally-screw-threaded well which receives the externally-screw-threaded portion of a screw I8 which passes through one of the screw-receivingapertures I3 in the base to secure the post in upright position on the base. As the screw may be inserted through either one of the holes I3, the post may be mounted at either end of the elongated base I0 thus providing for a left-hand or a right-hand construction, as may be desired. This is particularly useful where a number of racks are to be arranged together upon a supporting surface and it is desired to have oppositelyarranged racks at each end of the line,

The post I4' is provided in the web of the channel-shaped portion thereof with a pair of spaced-apart apertures I3 of key-hole shape. These apertures may be used to suspend the rack on a Wall or other vertical supporting structure by inserting screws at proper positions in the wall or supporting structure and hooking the key-hole shaped apertures I9 over the screw heads in a conventional manner. When the base ID is provided with the suction cups I2, an additional suction cup 20 may be secured in one of the keyhole apertures I9 and engaged with a vertical surface such as a sink-splash-board to assist in securing the rack in position on a sink or similar structure. It is to be understood, however, that the provision of the suction cups I2 and 20 is entirely optional and that they may be omitted without, in any way, affecting the scope of theA invention.

The top plate I5 comprises a generally circular member having at one side an extension2l which overlies and is secured to the top of the post' I4 so that the top plate is supported above and substantially parallel to the upper surface of the base I0. The top plate has in its under-surface a circular recess or concavity 22 which receives the bottom of an inverted bottle, such as the vacuum vbottle indicated in broken lines and designated by the numeral 23 in Figures 1 and 2.

A ring 24 engages the neck end of the inverted bottle and holds itin position so that its bottom is engaged in' the recess 22. This ring isa circular member, preferably formed of metal, having at one side thereof an outwardly-projecting apertured lug 25 which is' received in the recess I6 ofthe post and pivotally secured therein by a suitable pivot pin 26 extending through the post andthe end portion' of the lug. A'compression spring 21 seated in the'bore I'I rests at its lower endupon the upper-surface ofthe base I and bears at its upper rend against theglowersurface ofthe-lug 25 to re'silientlyurge the'ring 24 up# wardly 'and to thereby raise'the bottom end of theV inverted bottle into the Vrecess 22, the upward movement of the ring 24 being limited by contact of` the'upper surface of the lug 25 with the top of the recess I6 in the post. 1 v- I In order to insert thebottle 23 in the rack, the neck end of the bottle is inserted in the ring 24, sufficient pressure being exerted on the bottle to forcer the outer end of the yring downwardlyl against the force of spring 2'I. The bottom end of the inverted bottle fisl then forced under the top plate I and positioned to seat in the recess 227of the'. top plate so that, upon releasev of the bottl,"th'e spring 21 will raise the ring 24, forcing the bottom end of the Iinverted bottle upinto the recess in the top plate I5 and holding the bottle securely in the rack. The mouth of the bottle is thus positioned immediately above the concavity II in the vbase I Il and any drippings from the bottle will fall `into this concavty where they will be collected and not permitted to run onto the sink or tabletop or other supporting surface for the rack.

As bottles are provided with various sizes and shapes of their neck-end portions, it is contemplated that the ring 24 will be adjustable to `provide. the proper size aperture for the bottle neck regardless of the ,size or shape of the neck end of the bottle. This is accomplished by tapering the inner-side 28 of the ring downwardly and inwardly and providing a series of auxiliary rings 29 of progressively decreasing diameter and having downwardly and inwardly-tapered or beveled inner and outer-sides which lit into the ring 24, as is particularly illustrated in Figure 7. One or more of the rings 29 may be operatively placed in the ring 24 until the ring aperture has a diametrical dimension corresponding with the neck' size of the particular bottle which it is desired to support in the rack and the ring aperture may be quickly and easily adjusted for different size bottle necks by merely adding or removing auxiliary rings 29 as may be necessary.

In the form ofthe invention shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 the base I Il, post I4', and top plate I5 are provided as castings of some suitable material, such as synthetic resin plastic or a mold able metal. Die castings of synthetic resin plastic or conventional white metal are particularly suitable for this purpose and the base, post and top plate may be cast together as a single unit, if desired, rather than in three separate pieces as illustrated. The structure, however, may be manufactured by alternative methods and of different materials without, in any way, exceeding the scope ofthe invention. For example, the entire structure may be cut and stamped from sheet metal or any portion thereof may be so formed and in Figures 4fand 5 there is illustrated f a post or standard provided as a sheet metal stamping.

The alternative post 30, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, is provided as a hollow, channelshaped member lformed by bending a piece of sheet metal to three-sided rectangular shape. The sheet metal is bent over at the opposite ends of the post, as indicated at 3| and 32, to provide end-walls, and a reinforcing plate 33 is preferably provided in the lower end ofthe post. The plate and the lower end of the post is apertured to receive the screw I8 for securing the post to the base I D, the screw in this case, preferably being provided with a nut, not illustrated.

The modiedpost3 is mounte'don the base II) with its web side facing the front of the base and'this web side is'provided with an elongated aperture 34 through which the lug 25 of the ring 24" extends, the spring 2'I being mounted at the inner-side of the Web. The lug is pivotally mounted in the aperture of the post and the spring I'I is disposed in the post between the base and the lug to resiliently urge the ring upwardly. In order to provide the rack suspending apertures I9 in the modified post construction, a pair of spaced-apart plates 35"are secured across the open side of the post at the proper predetermined positions and secured to the 4side-walls or flanges of the channel-shaped post by suitable means such as the rivets 36, or by spot welding, brazing or soldering, as may be desired. The apertures I9 are provided in these plates 35 between the side-walls ofthe post, as is clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5.

The ring 24 supports the vacuum bottle 23 in operative position with the bottom end of the bottle engaged in the recess 22 in the under-surface of the top plate I5 and the base is elongated to provide ample space beside the ring 24 so that the bottle cork 31 and cap 38 may be placed in draining position upon the base overlying a portion of the base concavity I I.

As explained above, Where it is necessary to drain several bottles at the'same time, a number of unit racks may be arranged in end-to-end relationship to receive the severall bottles and the end racks of the line maybe so arranged so that one is left-hand and the other right-hand in order to provide symmetrical end racks so that the line or series of racks, will have an attractive appearance and provide the maximum convenience and use. It is within the scope of the invention, however, to providea single rack whichy tions thereon and is provided with a concavity li corresponding to the concavity H of the base l0. Respective top plates i5 are secured to the upper ends of the posts id and extend outwardly over the end portions of the base i9 and respective rings 24 are secured to the posts in the manner described above, and resiliently urged toward the corresponding top plates by the respective springs 2T.

In order to limit the longitudinal dimension of the rack, the posts ill are spaced apart a distance such that the cap 3d of one bottle may be placed upon the base i0 between the rings 24 and a shelf l2 is provided between the posts i4 to support the second cap The shelf t2 is positioned `at a distance above the base so that the lower cap can conveniently be placed on the base below the shelf and is supported on a back wall d3, the ends of which may be connected to the posts iii and the bottom of which rests upon, and may be connected, if desired, to the rear portion of the base 40. The back wall 43 may be given anornamental configuration, as particularly illustrated in Figure 8, and the shelf d2 extends outwardly therefrom substantially parallel to the upper surface of the base and is provided in its upper-surface with a concavity lili of a size to receive the open end of the cap 38. Preferably, a drain opening 4.5 leads from the bottom of the concavity 44 at the forward side of the back wall 43 and the lower end of this drain opening may lead into a vertical groove i5 in the lower portion of the front surface of the back wall extending from the drain opening to the upper surface of the base 40.

While the rack could be increased in length to support any desired number of bottles Without, in any way, exceeding the scope of the invention, it appears that a two-bottle rack would probably constitute the maximum convenient size and that if it were desired to support more than two bottles it would be more convenient to use additional racks rather than to increase the size of a single rack.

As vacuum bottles are provided in different sizes, such as half-pint, one pint, and one quart sizes, racks may be provided in different sizes corresponding to the sizes of conventional bottles so that the proper sized rack for any size of vacuum bottle may be obtained. It is within the scope of the invention, however, to make the racks adjustable so that the same rack may be adjusted to iit bottles of diiferent sizes. For example, the posts I4 may be provided in two telescopically associated portions adjustably secured together to position the top plates l5 at any desired height above the base and the bottle-supporting rings 24 may be adjusted, as illustrated in Figures 6 and '7, and described above, to accommodate various sized bottles.

It is also within the scope of the invention to apply the resilient element 21 to the top plate rather than to the lower ring 24 or to resiliently mount both the top plate and the ring, if desired, and to make such other changes and modifications in the structure as may be considered advantageous by a person skilled in the art.

The invention may be embodied in other specie forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims 6 are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. A bottle rack comprising a generally rectangular, elongated base having a concavity in the upper-surface thereof, a post of channelshaped cross-section secured at one end to said base at one longitudinal edge and adjacent one end thereof and extending upwardly at right angles to the upper-surface of said base, said post having spaced-apart apertures of key-hole shape in the rear side thereof, a top plate secured to the upper end of said post and extending outwardly over said base substantially parallel thereto and provided in its under-surface with a concavity to receive the bottom of an inverted bottle, a ring having an apertured lug extending from one side thereof and pivotally secured to said post at a position immediately above said base whereby said ring receives the neck portieriv of an inverted bottle the bottom of which is received in the concavity in said top plate, and a spring o-peratively disposed in said post between said base and the lug of said ring resiliently urging said ring upwardly .to hold the bottom end of an inverted bottle in contact with said top plate, said ring being depressible by manual pressure for the insertion of a bottle between said ring and said top plate.

2. A bottle rack comprising a base, a post extending upwardly from said base at one edge thereof, a top plate secured to the upper end of said post and extending outwardly over said base, a ring pivotally secured to said post and extending outwardly over said base below said top plate, and spring means interposed between said base and said ring to resiliently urge said ring toward said top plate to resiliently clamp an inverted bottle between said ring and said top plate.

3. A bottle rack comprising a base, a post eX- tending upwardly from said base at one edge thereof, a top plate secured to the upper end of said post and extending outwardly over said base, a ring pivotally secured to said post and extending outwardly over said base below said top plate, and spring means operative to resiliently urge said top plate and said ring toward each other to resiliently clamp an inverted bottle between said ring and said top plate, said post comprising a member of channel-shaped cross-section having a solid end portion connected to said base, and provided in said solid end portion with a transverse recess and a longitudinal bore extending from the bottom end of said post to said recess, said ring having a lug thereon extending into said recess and pivotally secured therein, and said spring means comprising a compression spring seated in said bore between said base and said ring lug and operative to resiliently urge said ring upwardly away from said base.

KENNETH J. WATSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Wayne Apr. 18, 1939 

